Last year myself and another operator conducted a experiment. He gave me crap about not using the auto shift function in my loader. We both run 966F series 2 machines. Our test was which loader got better fuel econ. We were both doing the same task, feeding a screener. At the end of a 10 hr. shift we looked at each others fuel gague. Both gagues were the same. (Our gagues are probley off alittle and his loader is turned up alittle) Has anyone else ever played around with this and got a different result?
I think it depends on the computer system. On the Volvo's I run they have an "opti-shift" system. You can switch between L M H auto or manual modes. One works great with the computer system. The other is retarded, wont downshift when trying to go up a hill, wont kick down when hitting a pile, will drive down hill without shifting up into third, etc. I run one with automatic shift and one with total manual control. Our 966F, I put in third and kickdown hitting a pile, never go out of that arrangement and it works pretty well.
My loaders are always on autoshift,set in fourth gear on their ZF transmissions,unless my "back in the day" brother is using one,constantly in second gear.In the yard stockpiling or feeding the screener that is the only way to go until we need to dig gravel then a simple push of the thumb and it is in first ready to dig anything.
Explain to me the benefit of having the machine in 3rd or 4th gear(starting out), I have always been taught 2nd gear is your main traveling gear. I don't know a loader that will start off moving in 4th gear. Maybe I am understanding you guys wrong here, but all of our cats will only use the gear kickdown button from 2nd to 1st, and I would never dig in a gear above 2nd.
Every loader I've ever ran has started out fine in third. I might shift to second, ot the computer will, when ascending a slope, but third is perfect, and I downshift to first when digging into basically anything, its easier on the transmission that way.